Applications Engineering Manager Jobs in Chicago, IL

Katten is a full-service law firm with approximately 650 attorneys in locations across the United States and in London and Shanghai. Clients seeking sophisticated, high-value legal services turn to Katten for counsel locally, nationally and internationally. The firm's core areas of practice include corporate, financial markets and funds, restructuring, intellectual property, litigation, real estate, structured finance and securitization, transactional tax planning, private credit and private wealth. Katten represents public and private companies in numerous industries, as well as a number of government and nonprofit organizations and individuals.

Applications Engineer

The Applications Engineer is a highly skilled technical position, responsible for providing 3rd level support for Firm and legal applications such as iManage Cloud, Microsoft 365, various Office-integrated applications, commercial cloud applications, and various legal and operational systems used across the Firm. 

In addition to support responsibilities, the Applications Engineer is also responsible for leading technical discussions and executing complex project work with minimal supervision, ensuring stable, secure, and scalable application solutions aligned with business needs. 

The Applications Engineer maintains professionalism and strict confidentiality in all client and Firm matters.

The Applications Engineer can sit in our Chicago, Charlotte, Dallas, New York, Washington D.C., or Los Angeles office. Katten offers a hybrid work model, allowing the flexibility to work both on-site and remotely on a regular basis (KattenFlex).

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include, but may not be limited to, the following.  Other duties may be requested and/or assigned.  Regular and predictable attendance is an essential function of the position.  Essential functions are primary job duties that an individual must be able to perform successfully with or without a reasonable accommodation.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Assume ownership of Level 3 incidents for supported applications, including advanced troubleshooting, root cause analysis, and thoroughly documenting troubleshooting steps and final resolution.

• Create and maintain knowledge base articles and operational documentation.

• Proactively identify trends, systemic issues, and risks; take action to prevent service interruptions and improve system stability and performance.

• Perform all aspects of application discovery, including identifying prerequisites, configuration requirements and integration points, and validation of deployments delivered via endpoint management and automation platforms to ensure reliability and compliance with security standards.

• Perform and/or coordinate user acceptance testing (UAT) for new or upgraded applications.

• Develop, maintain, and leverage PowerShell scripts to support application deployment, configuration management, reporting, and troubleshooting.

• Identify and implement automation opportunities to streamline processes, reduce manual effort, and improve operational efficiency.

• Administer and support Microsoft Intune, including device configuration profiles, compliance policies, application deployment, update management, and endpoint security baselines.

• Monitor and optimize endpoint management strategies to improve reliability, compliance, and user experience.

• Maintain awareness of industry trends and emerging technologies, including Microsoft Copilot, AI-enabled tools, and intelligent automation platforms.

• Assist in evaluating, testing, and supporting AI-driven solutions, ensuring alignment with firm security, compliance, and data governance standards.

• Recommend solutions that improve productivity, enhance workflows, and deliver measurable business value.

• Interact with attorneys, business staff, clients, vendors, and consultants to resolve complex issues and implement enhancements.

• Clearly communicate technical issues, troubleshooting steps, and solutions.

• Assume responsibility for implementation and support of third-party applications and integrations.

• Conduct knowledge transfer sessions and collaborate on training materials.

• Advocate for user experience improvements and incorporate end-user feedback into solutions.

• Occasional after-hours support is required.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• This position has no direct supervisory responsibilities, however, has the authority to delegate work within the Department relating to applications' tasks.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in Computer Science, Information Technology or related specialty and five or more years related experience preferred; or equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Strong working knowledge of SaaS applications is required. Administrative experience with M365 and Microsoft Intune (or other modern endpoint management concepts) is preferred. Must be quality and results oriented.

• Experience working in a law firm supporting software used to meet legal practice requirements is a strong plus. Previous software applications experience within a larger organization is preferred.

• Advanced troubleshooting and analytical skills, proactive with the ability to identify define, and analyze complex application issues and problems and to recommend and implement solutions.

• Ability to lead technical discussions and independently manage complex projects with minimal supervision.

• Experience developing and maintaining PowerShell scripts for automation and system administration.

• Familiarity with Microsoft Copilot, AI tools, and enterprise governance considerations.

• Strong understanding of application integration, configuration, and performance optimization.

• Exhibit high degree of initiative in exercising independent judgment with demonstrated troubleshooting, follow-through, and critical-thinking skills to manage multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced, detail-oriented and consistently changing work environment with the ability to make decisions based upon results of research.

• Excellent analytical and technical skills requiring an aptitude for detail, precision, and logic with comprehensive knowledge of Windows-based, client-server applications to conduct detailed analysis of applications' project work including testing and installation.

• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills with the ability to communicate with courtesy and diplomacy and efficiently follow written and verbal instructions.

• Ability to provide technical support and training to a diverse group of users having different levels of computer expertise including attorneys, support staff and clients.  In addition, maintain effective relationships with vendors and consultants.

• Excellent organizational skills including record keeping, data collection and system information.  Ability to compile and analyze data and furnish information in report format, written correspondence, e mail or verbally.

• Ability to occasionally retrieve and distribute applications' software, written documentation, or office supplies weighing up to 20 pounds.

• Work occasionally requires more than 37.5 hours (35 hours in New York) per week to perform the essential duties of the position.

For our Chicago Office, the annualized salary range for this position is $100,000 to $125,000.  Actual pay will be adjusted based on experience and other job-related factors permitted by law.

We offer an outstanding benefit package which includes: medical/dental/vision, 401k with employer contribution, parental leave, transportation fringe benefit program, back-up care option, generous paid time off policy, and long-term and short-term disability policies.

Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.

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